Nintendo has been working with one of its most successful consoles ever in the Switch. Since 2017, the hybrid console has proven that Nintendo still owns a powerful presence in the gaming industry following the hiccup that was the Wii U. That all being said, many people have been eagerly awaiting a significant update, but instead, we are getting the Nintendo Switch OLED. Is this new iteration of the Switch significant enough that you should buy it?
While the Nintendo Switch OLED has some nice improvements, we honestly cannot recommend purchasing the new console if you already own a Nintendo Switch. The updates to the console include:
- A 7-inch OLED screen
- Better audio speakers for portable play
- A wider back stand for tabletop mode
- A built-in wired ethernet port
- And double the internal storage taking it to 64 GB
OLED screen
The new screen is nice, but the OLED Switch will run all the games you already own almost the same as your current model outside of some better-looking colors. The internals on the Switch OLED is pretty much the same as what we have seen so far, and according to Nintendo, the battery life will be the same compared to the base Switch model.
Audio
The audio speakers are nothing more than a nice quality of life improvement for those who only play the Switch portably without headphones. The big update that was needed here was Bluetooth integration so you could connect your favorite headset.
Adjustable Stand
The back stand improvement is about ten spots below other issues people have with the Switch, so while it is nice to have, do you really care? While we cannot support this assumption with data, we would assume the tabletop mode is the least used playing mode, although the flimsy stand from the first Switch did need to be addressed.
Built-in wired LAN port
The built-in ethernet port is arguably the most significant upgrade for the OLED Switch, but if you wait a bit, you can probably find someone selling just the dock without having to shell out $350. If all you care about is getting an ethernet port for your Switch, you can also purchase an Ethernet Adapter without needing a new console.
64 GB internal storage
The internal storage is, again, a great update, but if the biggest problem you have with your Switch now is storage, you could purchase an SD card to give you way more space than this.
The Nintendo Switch OLED model is not as significant an update as many people were hoping for. The biggest issues we have had for the last four years are not being addressed in this new model. The games will not run better on it, the joy-con are the same (so expect drift), and the battery is not being improved.
If you do not own a Nintendo Switch at this point or need a new Switch for whatever reason, paying the extra $50 would be a worthy investment. Even if you own a Nintendo Switch Lite, we could see the upgrade being fine if you were waiting on getting a dock model, but what you have now is more or the less the same experience you will have with the Nintendo Switch OLED.
